Barbara Wheat Appointed as Executive Vice President

(IDEX Online News) – The Natural Color Diamond Association (NCDIA) has appointed Barbara Wheat as its new executive vice president.

Previously, she served as executive director of the International Colored Gemstone Association and as adviser on international relations for the Thai Gem and Jewelry Traders Association, among other positions during her nearly 25 years in the diamond, gem and jewelry industry.

Wheat plans to emphasize training and education, as well as the benefits for jewelers to carry natural color diamonds and already begun developing new point-of-sale brochures to explain natural color diamonds to consumers.

“Barbara is the ideal choice for NCDIA because she is well known around the world by trade associations, government entities, miners, suppliers, manufacturers and retailers,” said NCDIA president Jordan Fine.

“As NCDIA grows, she is able to assist at all levels of the supply chain, from mine to market. She is also uniquely qualified to address sustainability issues and corporate social responsibility for the organization.”